Amelia stood up for me. "Don't push it too far. Do you really know the truth of the matter? You're just spouting nonsense. Karena and Howard have been together for a while; I know that, and so do our dorm mates."
She looked at everyone present with a piercing gaze and said with a serious tone, "In fact, Howard hadn't even started working at our school at that time. They knew each other long before Luna, so how could Karena have come between them?"
Everyone was left speechless by her retort, each one as silent as a mouse.
However, Jessa was not convinced. She crossed her arms and snorted, "Who knows if it's true or not? For all we know, you're birds of a feather, so of course you'd defend her."
From what she implied, anyone who spoke up for me was aiding and abetting, birds of a feather. It wasn’t just acquaintances, even friends had to think twice before supporting me. For the first time, I felt so helpless and furious that I was trembling, yet I couldn't do anything about her; she was unbelievably shameless. I had no grudges with her—why did she treat me this way?
As my mind was in chaos, a slightly nervous voice sounded, "I can prove it. Since Karena had moved out of our dormitory long ago, she had talked about her boyfriend with us a while back."
I looked in surprise at the person speaking; it was Isabella. She and Luna looked somewhat similar, but they were worlds apart. Isabella was usually a quiet girl in class, not one to talk much or get involved in any cliques.
Although I had some interactions with her, I never expected her to stand up for me.
Jessa was still not satisfied. "You're her roommate and know her, so of course, you'd defend her."
"I can also testify." A slightly cold male voice devoid of much emotion spoke up as everyone turned their gaze to Wesley.
Apart from his good grades, he rarely spoke in class and usually kept to himself with a cold demeanor. Seeing him stand up for me, I was a bit surprised, as I had thought Wesley disliked me.
Sensing my surprised look, Wesley glanced at me briefly before looking away. "Everyone knows I don't get along with her, so I wouldn't lie for her."
I was deeply moved. I would never badmouth him behind his back again. He was actually a good person. Just for standing up for me today, I was already very touched.
Jessa opened her mouth, but for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Amelia immediately said, "So many people are testifying for Karena. Do you have any other questions? Speak up now, and we'll all help answer them."
Jessa's face turned ugly, and she couldn't say anything for a long time.
Amelia then turned her gaze to the rest of the class. "I understand that no one here is ill-intentioned. This time, the victim of the rumors is our classmate. Although we might not be particularly close with each other, we are all in the same class. So, if we encounter malicious rumors again, I kindly ask everyone to testify and help clarify the situation."
"Of course, we'll explain." They, feeling awkward, immediately agreed.
The farce ended, and I walked out of the classroom in a daze.
"Karena, don't pay any attention to what those people think. They're just bored and indulging in idle gossip." Isabella came out of the classroom and saw my lost look, gently comforting me.
I immediately smiled gratefully at her. "Isabella, thank you for speaking up for me today."
Isabella waved her hand shyly. "Don't say that. I didn't actually do much; it's mainly thanks to Wesley." Just as she mentioned Wesley, he appeared.
Carrying a black shoulder bag, Wesley walked out. Seeing my stunned gaze fixed on him, he didn't even pause and walked straight past me.
I quickly called out to him. "Wesley, thank you this time."
He paused, his cold gaze sweeping over me. Then he said, "I didn't intend to help you. I just can't stand people being wronged." With that, he left without looking back.
"Wesley is still so cool," Isabella sighed.
Wesley usually kept to himself and didn't talk much to others in class, nor did he have many friends. However, he was very handsome, and even when he wore a stern expression, he still looked good. That's why everyone privately called him "the cool guy".
Then a string of beautiful music sounded, and I saw Howard's name on the caller ID, making me pause. "I almost forgot, Howard is waiting for me at the school gate."
Amelia glanced at me. "Why is he waiting for you?"
"It's about Matthew." I hinted, and Amelia immediately understood. "Then you better hurry, or he'll get impatient."
I quickly nodded, not daring to stay any longer, lest Howard get angry. "Thanks for today, I'll treat you to coffee another day." With that, I quickly ran out of the school gate and saw the car parked by the roadside, rushing over.
A sharp, piercing horn sounded, and before I could react, someone pulled me into their arms, quickly moving me away from the spot.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in Howard's arms. He looked at me with a dark face, his blue eyes seemingly burning with anger. "Are you an idiot? You weren't paying attention to the traffic while walking. Do you know you almost got hit by a car?"
Covering my ears that were almost deafened by Howard's yelling, I looked at him displeased. "Keep your voice down, I'm not deaf; I can hear you just fine."
Seeing my unrepentant look, Howard angrily pushed me away and walked straight to the car.
I quickly followed him like a shadow. As he got into the car, I also sat in the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt.
Howard glared at me, his tone dissatisfied. "Now you're all self-aware? Weren't you just arguing with me a moment ago?"
I grinned at him, trying to please him. "I know you're doing it for my good, but you can't be so harsh when talking to a girl. You'll never find a wife that way."
He gave me a half-smile.
Although he didn't say anything, I understood the meaning behind his look, and my cheeks flushed. "What are you looking at? I'm not your wife."
He snorted lightly and silently started the car.
Looking at Howard's exquisite profile in the sunlight, I thought, 'No wonder so many people are interested in him. Howard is really good-looking.'